Longform

Episode 550: Zeke Faux

Sep 20, 2023

Zeke Faux, investigative reporter for Bloomberg and author of Number Go Up, discusses scams in the crypto world, the accessibility of cryptocurrency knowledge, challenges in reporting, and encounters with individuals like Brock Pierce.

01:02:02

Episode guests

Zeke Faux

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The podcast emphasizes the importance of being cautious and skeptical of individuals and companies in the crypto industry, as past scams often indicate future fraudulent activities.

Taking precautionary measures such as using two-factor authentication, only sending money to trusted individuals, and being cautious with passwords can help protect against online scams.

The investigation into Tether raises concerns about its lack of transparency and the potential negative impact it can have on the crypto economy.

Deep dives

Sophistication of Online Scams

Online scammers are becoming more sophisticated and finding new victims every year.

Introduction

2min

A Live Event with Zeke Faux: Exploring the Cryptocurrency Industry

2min

Unveiling the Shadows: Zeke Faux's Investigative Journey

9min

Attacking the Reporting: Finding Threads

6min

The Challenges of Reporting and the Psychological Impact

29min

Describing Individuals and Meeting Brock Pierce on a Yacht

4min

Venture Capitalists and Crypto Investments

8min

Reflecting on Scams and Characters

3min

Zeke Faux is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg. His new book is Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall.

“I have a rule of thumb, which is that if somebody did one scam, they probably did another scam. If they did one scam in the past and now they have a new thing, odds are good it’s also a scam. That’s not always true, but that was definitely borne out sometimes in crypto-world.”

Show notes:

@ZekeFaux
zekefaux.com
Faux on Longform
Faux’s Bloomberg archive
06:00 “Secret Network Connects Harvard Money to Payday Loans” (Bloomberg • Sept 2014)
08:00 “Anyone Seen Tether’s Billions?” (Bloomberg • Oct 2021)
21:00 Matt Levine’s Bloomberg archive
22:00 “‘Don’t You Remember Me?’ The Crypto Hell on the Other Side of a Spam Text” (Bloomberg • Aug 2023)
32:00 “The Rise of FTX, and Sam Bankman-Fried, Was a Great Story. Its Implosion Is Even Better.” (Alexandra Alter • New York Times • May 2023)
58:00 The Mastermind (Evan Ratliff • Penguin Random House • 2020)

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Longform

Episode 550: Zeke Faux

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Sophistication of Online Scams

Protecting Yourself Online

Exploring the World of Cryptocurrency

Uncovering the Mystery of Tether

Reporting on Scams and Fraud

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts